Percy: A Tragedy

Hannah MoreProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 85K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Percy: A Tragedy by Hannah MoreAuthor: More, Hannah, 1745-1833,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 21, 2009

Editor's review

This is a verse tragedy by Hannah More, part of the moral drama tradition in eighteenth-century English literature. More was known for her religious and moralizing writing; this play centers on the fate of its protagonist Percy, unfolding conflict and choice in polished, rhythmic language with a distinctly staged sense of scene. As a public-domain electronic text, its chief value lies in offering primary material to readers studying eighteenth-century English drama, women writers, and moral reform thought. It should not be approached with the pacing of modern melodrama; instead, attend to the rhetoric of the lines, the way characters handle duty and feeling, and how the author uses dramatic form to convey ethical positions. It suits literature-history courses, classical drama reading groups, or special topics in English literature, and can serve as supplementary reading for understanding More's creative profile. Because the text is early, reading it alongside an introduction or background materials will give a fuller experience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature specialists studying eighteenth-century English drama and the moral drama tradition
Researchers focused on women writers and Hannah More's work
Teachers needing a public-domain English drama text for courses or reading groups
English literature enthusiasts interested in verse tragedy and classical stage language

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers expecting fast-paced plots and modern narrative techniques
Learners with limited English reading experience who are unfamiliar with eighteenth-century English
Those seeking only light, entertaining reading

Reading tips

Read the preface or relevant background first to understand More's moral stance before entering the text.
Read act by act, reviewing character relationships and the progression of conflict after each act rather than forcing it through in one sitting.
Read long monologues aloud to appreciate the rhythm and rhetorical effects of the verse.
After finishing, compare with the broader landscape of eighteenth-century English drama and consider the play's place in subject and form.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a play?

It is a dramatic work, with the subtitle identifying it as a tragedy. It uses verse dialogue and an act structure, so it reads more like a stage script than a novel.

Can I read it without experience with drama?

Yes, but it takes some patience. Learn the basic structure of a script first, proceed act by act, and use background materials to understand character motives and the author's intent; that will noticeably lower the barrier.

What are the features of this edition?

This is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg in the original English, easy to access and search for free and suitable for research, teaching, or parallel reading, but it has no modern annotations or introduction.

Is it suitable for coursework?

It works as supplementary material for topics in eighteenth-century English drama or women's writing, but because it lacks annotations, pair it with a literary history textbook or scholarly introduction to understand the background accurately.

Comments

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About the author

Hannah More Author · English · 1745–1833

Hannah More (1745–1833) was an English religious writer, poet, playwright, and philanthropist, born near Bristol. In her early years she was active in London's Bluestocking literary circle, associating with Johnson, Reynolds, and Garrick, and wrote plays such as Percy, The Fatal Falsehood, and The Inflexible Captive. From 1792, in response to Paine's Rights of Man, she produced the Cheap Repository Tracts, plain-language pamphlets for ordinary readers, including tales such as The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, which circulated widely. She also wrote Coelebs in Search of a Wife and works on religion and public education, and was known for founding schools and opposing the slave trade.